Lewiston residents at forum overwhelmingly support rec center

by jmaloni

Mon, Jan 9th 2012 09:00 pm

Residents watch as architect David Giusiana explains plans to build the recreation center on the Lewiston plateau.

by Joshua Maloni

In stark contrast to the
previous two Village of Lewiston Board meetings, where trustees were blasted
for stumping for a new recreation center, residents Monday overwhelmingly
voiced their support for a new indoor sports complex.

"It is needed for the kids,"
said Riverside Motel owner Bruce Blakelock.

His son, eighth-grader Robert
Blakelock, said, "There's not a whole lot of areas in Lewiston to go and play
sports."

"If we don't accept this for our
children ... we're throwing something away," said Dennis Brochey of Brochey's
Automotive.

"There are a lot of people in
the village that are very supportive of (a new recreation center)," Peter Nagy
said. "It's a shame that this project is kind of dead in the water."

Trustees opted to hold the
public forum Monday despite losing the support of Gary Hall. In November 2011,
the Waste Technology Services president and CEO offered to finance a
multimillion-dollar recreation center, but backed out Thursday due to what
board members called a desire to keep the peace. Hall, they said, was taken
aback by the negative comments he received at board meetings in December and
January, when North Fourth Street-area residents balked at the idea of building
a 28,000-square-foot complex in their backyard.

Two of those residents, Kathleen
Harold and former Mayor Richard Soluri, explained their opposition to erecting
the structure behind the Red Brick Municipal building.

"We saw the (rec center)
pictures in the Sentinel, and we kind of got shook up," Harold said at the
forum. She said neither Hall nor the board had a definite business plan, and
she chided those who said Marilyn Toohey Park was underutilized.

"There is constant use," she
said of the green space, which would've been lessened with a new rec center.

"This would detract from our
neighborhood - it would no longer be a neighborhood," Soluri said. He also
suggested property values would drop if the rec center was built in Toohey
Park.

"I like the idea of a recreation
center - if we can afford it," he said. "(But) the ideal site is really at the
plateau."

Hall commissioned architect
David Giusiana of Giusiana Architects & Engineer to come up with a proposal to
build the rec center at the plateau. Giusiana presented that plan Monday,
showing a 36,000-square-foot rec center in between the dog park
and the habitat (on the way to Artpark), and detailing its amenities (including
tennis, racquetball and squash courts; a video golf simulator; a climbing area;
a juice bar; and two full locker rooms).

Mayor Terry Collesano said he
received "daily calls, letters and emails in support" of the Red Brick
location. Still, "I personally favor the plateau site," he said.

Collesano told the audience of
about 200 that "this will probably be the final time we talk about (a new
recreation center)."

Without Hall's support, the
village is currently unable to finance a new indoor sports complex.

"We are saddened that the
community lost a great opportunity for a recreation center," Collesano said. He
added, "Mr. Hall, our door is always open if you ever wish to reconsider."

Residents at the forum thanked
Hall for his offer to finance the rec center. Some went so far as to scold
those who took issue with Hall's proposal - especially those who wrote negative
letters to the editor in the Sentinel.

"Where are we going to get $2
million to build something like this?" Brochey asked.

Resident Mary Smith said, "I'm
tired of people complaining. ... Whether it's a sandwich board in front of a
business or a festival - whatever it is - there's a problem with everything in
this village."

She described children as more
in need of recreation than ever, and said, "I really hope that Mr. Hall will
reconsider."

Planning Board member Dave Maslen said Hall "was scared off
because he thought he was offending all you people. Well, he's not offending
all you people, because a lot of you people here tonight are for (a new
recreation center)."

Without a major benefactor,
Deputy Mayor Bruce Sutherland said the village could opt to fundraise. He said
his preliminary research revealed membership fees could offset maintenance and
staff costs, while solar panels could eliminate almost all of the electrical
costs.

Sutherland proposed yearly
membership fees of $125 for a family and $60 per person ($35 for students and
$20 for seniors). Coupled with a $20-per-hour court usage fee, he reasoned the
rec center, at just 30 percent usage, could net $102,000 from Sept. 1 through
May 31.

When school field trips,
tournaments, walk-on days and non-resident rates are added into the equation,
"It made it seem to us that it was a doable thing," Sutherland said.

Harold and Maslen suggested residents vote the project up or down in a referendum.
Trustees will consider adding that to the June election ballot.

In terms of location, Collesano
said the Red Brick location "is a dead issue." He and Trustee Ernie Krell said
Kiwanis Park couldn't be used, either. The Kiwanis Club of Lewiston deeded the
14-acre park to the Town of Lewiston with the stipulation it remain a park.

***

Those
in attendance at Monday's public forum were asked to fill out a ballot
indicating where they live, their age, whether or not they favor a rec
center, and what they'd like to see inside a sports complex. The unofficial vote
indicated 150 people are for a new rec center, while six are opposed.